God's Salvation Is For All People

The text for our meditation on God’s Holy Word is the first lesson appointed for this day. I bring you grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Mary and Joseph and Jesus were Jews. His relatives—Elizabeth and Zechariah and John were Jews. Jesus’ disciples were Jews. His earthly ministry—in large measure—was to Jews. Pentecost was first of all a Jewish festival and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was upon the Jews who gathered for that festival. The big names in the early church: Matthias and Stephen and James and Paul --were Jews.

The story of the early church in the first few years after our Lord’s resurrection and ascension was in large measure a story that took place among the Jews. But all of that changes—and changes dramatically—with the events that take place in our lesson today from Acts—with the Gospel bearing fruit among the Gentiles.

As we meditate upon God’s Word this morning, what I would like for us to do is to ask ourselves in all seriousness if there are individuals or groups of people that we would just as soon keep at arm’s length as see them come into the church—but then to recognize that God’s salvation is not just for some people—but for all people.
Our story really begins in the chapter immediately preceding our lesson today, where Luke tells the story of how Peter was sent by the Holy Spirit to a Gentile man named Cornelius—and his family.

There in his home, Peter preached the Good News of salvation-- and Cornelius and his family were filled with the Holy Spirit just like the Jews at Pentecost, came to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and were baptized. Luke goes on to tell us that Peter was “amazed” at this turn of events and remained for a time as a guest in Cornelius’ home. That is where our story picks up. Luke writes that:

The apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party CRITICIZED him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

Did you get that? The Jews heard what happened in Cornelius’ house—how he and his family believed the Good News of Jesus and received the Holy Spirit and were baptized—they heard how this family was saved for time and eternity by Jesus--and they criticized Peter for entering their home and eating their food—for they were Gentiles: non-Jews. Such is the power of the distinctions we make among our fellow men.

Just like I mentioned earlier, the story of the church up to this point is in large measure a Jewish story. That was certainly the way that many of the early Christians saw it. They were Jewish. The prophets who promised a Messiah were Jewish. Jesus was a Jew and who he was and what he did was the culmination-- of God’s special connection to his ancient people.

And so when the Jewish Christians saw Peter associating with Gentiles—entering their homes—eating their food—having fellowship with them & they were offended and angry about it, for that ancient distinction between Jews and Gentiles was being broken down.

It is right here that Biblical commentators universally condemn the Jews for their narrow-mindedness and their legalism and their racism. But that’s not entirely fair. The concerns of Peter’s critics were perfectly legitimate given what they knew. All of the laws that they were concerned about—all of the laws that they believed that Peter was playing fast and loose with—were given to them by God. No one had a right to set them aside—save One—the One who gave those laws—and He did. Luke writes that:

Peter began and explained it to them in order: “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘BY NO MEANS, LORD; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven.

To the concerns of the scrupulous Jews, Peter says in effect: “Hey, you’ll get no argument from me--I get it! I know exactly where you’re coming from—I had the same concerns. When I saw that sheet that was filled up with pigs and lobsters and shrimp and oysters and heard the command to eat from it—I told the Lord: forget it!” Such was the power of that scruple about eating forbidden food-- that Peter had to be told by the Lord again and again and again: “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

Peter was the one who saw this vision—but what he saw and heard and learned was really intended for the whole church—that is why the Lord providentially arranged that Peter would be accompanied by six brothers form the Jerusalem Church.
Not just Peter, but all those early Jewish Christians needed to know in a powerful way that the old divisions that separated them from the world—that preserved them as a distinct people—had come to an end with Jesus—and now those same laws were making unnecessary barriers between them & others that hindered folks coming to faith in Jesus.

What about us? Do we have deeply felt scruples or prejudices that have the effect of keeping other people at arm’s length—that keep us from really seeing them as objects of God’s redeeming love and making a place for them in God’s family? Maybe it is race. I can vividly remember when the first black family joined our congregation in Ft. Worth people stopped using the common cup. Maybe it’s not race at all but a socio-economic barrier—we’re perfectly willing to accept all races so long as they have achieved what we’ve achieved. Maybe it’s tattoos and piercings and dreadlocks. But whatever that scruple or hesitancy or prejudice is, it has the effect of keep others folks at arm’s length—and the problem is that when they are at arm’s length from us—it’s just about impossible for us to reach out to them with the Gospel.

And that’s the Lord’s concern in all this—that’s why he gives Peter and the early church this vision--not so that Peter and the Jews have bacon for breakfast and ham for Christmas—but so that the church in Jerusalem and the church in Kingsville would recognize and rejoice the Good News that God’s salvation is for all people and set aside the barriers that keep us from sharing Christ with others. Peter said that:

At that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go with them, MAKING NO DISTINCTION. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’

There’s that word again that we’ve been hearing all Easter season from Easter morning til now: GO! Go to the Gentiles at Caesarea! And there in that command is the purpose of the vision—just as Peter and the Jewish Christians were to no longer make distinction among foods, neither were they to make distinction among people—God’s salvation was for all people and so the message of salvation was to go out to all people—without exception.

Luke tells us that it was at the very moment that Peter saw the vision and heard the Word of God that three men arrived to take him to the home of a Gentile family. There was no time to second guess the Lord—no time to reason his way out of it—at the very moment he had a God-given opportunity to take the principle that God had taught him in the vision-- and apply it in his life and the lives of others.

This is an important point. 1. Oftentimes we learn something in Bible class or in a sermon and we have the best of intentions—we know what we ought to do—we have a firm conviction to do it—and yet we hesitate to act on it and it’s lost. This is nothing new. James likened it to looking in a mirror and then turning around and forgetting what we look like. 2. Other times, we hear a bible study or sermon but the preacher never gets around to telling us what we ought to do with what we’ve learned—how it ought to take shape in our lives—and so we never do anything with it.

Peter was spared both of these problems: there was to be no distinctions among people when it came to the Gospel and he was immediately given the opportunity to put it in to practice by taking the Good News to people who were very different than himself.

The same must be true for us sitting here today. This congregation is very different than the community around us—ethnically and socio-economically and religiously. That doesn’t make us or those around us bad or good—there is no moral feature to these differences at all.

But it ought to make us particularly aware of what we’re learning from God’s Word today—that the barriers that keep us from reaching out to all people are wrong & we need a willingness to step outside of our comfort zones for the sake of other folk’s salvation. There is no race or class or group of people that are cut off from God’s salvation & he wants us to share that Good News. That’s what we see Peter do. He said:

As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them JUST AS ON US at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave THE SAME GIFT TO THEM AS HE GAVE TO US when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?”

No longer was there to be a distinction among foods and no longer was there to be a distinction among people—because there was no distinction in the love that God had for all people—no distinction in the salvation Jesus had provided for all people in his deaths and resurrection—no distinction in the Holy Spirit and his gifts that were poured out upon all people. Just as salvation was for the Jews-- so it was for the Gentiles—the same gifts of God’s grace through faith in Jesus for all people.

This was Good News not just for the Gentiles but it was Good News for the Jewish believers too. They needed this powerful demonstration that God’s grace and salvation in Christ extended to all people and was not dependent in the least upon anything within a person whatsoever. Their adherence to the law and their identity as Jews was not what saved them—it was not what gave them a life with God. Their salvation-- just like the Gentiles’ salvation-- rested completely upon what Jesus had done for them in his death and resurrection.

We need this reminder too. There is perfect human equality at the foot of the cross. We all stand there equal in our need. We all stand there equally loved and redeemed by Christ’s shed blood. The very real differences that exist between individual members of the family of man are not permitted there at the cross to become distinctions that divide us from one another—not in our need for salvation—not in the salvation that Christ has earned for all people and God desires to give to all people.

Before his ascension into heaven, Jesus promised that disciples would be made of all nations through baptism and teaching—and in Cornelius’ home and our homes we know that promise is fulfilled. And now, rather than standing in God’s way as he goes about bringing people to Christ, he invites us to have a part in his saving work—rejoicing in the Good News that his salvation is for all & sharing that Good News with others. Luke writes:

“When they heard these things they fell silent. And they GLORIFIED God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

It is very much to the Jewish Christians’ credit that when they heard the whole story of Peter’s mission to the Gentiles-- and how they had come to faith in Jesus- and received the Holy Spirit- and joined the church through baptism- their complaints were silenced and they praised God for his goodness in extending salvation to all people no matter who they were. And yet…

Their world was turned upside down as all of their preconceived notions about who God loved and who cold have a part in his kingdom all came crashing down-- and they would continue to struggle with this-- and that just goes to show just how powerful are the divisions that we make that divide us from other human beings.

But from that moment on, a major shift would take place in the life of the church as more and more Gentiles came to faith in Christ so that today we Gentile Christians are just as amazed when a Jew converts to Christ as was Jewish Peter amazed when a Gentile came to Christ. It’s that unusual.

In the study notes at the end of this section of Acts in my handy-dandy new Lutheran Study Bible, there is a little prayer that really does capture what we’ve learned today and it goes like this: “Lord, let my likeness to some, not be a barrier to others. O Holy Spirit, draw everyone to you—even the unlikely.” Even the unlikely. My prayer for us here today is that there would be fewer and fewer folks that we see as “unlikely” members of God’s kingdom, knowing as we do that God’s salvation is for all people. Amen.

And now may the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.